Chapter 262 - 259: Exceptional Material!_l
Just like that, time seemed to fly by, and in the blink of an eye, the second day arrived.
As expected, Yang Chen arrived at the alchemy assessment site.
Comparatively speaking, there were fewer people participating in the alchemy assessment than the martial arts one. However, there were still quite a number of them. When Yang Chen arrived at the assessment site, there were at least a hundred people.
At the moment, time was very close to the start of the assessment, and many examiners and judges were ready.
Compared to the martial arts assessment, there were more examiners in the alchemy assessment.
That’s because alchemy is not like martial arts. Both the techniques and the skills are man-made, and many examiners and judges are needed to appraise and clearly verify a person’s alchemy level in various aspects.
The Chief Examiner was fully prepared. Seeing that it was about time, and the examinees had all arrived, he coughed twice and said, “Before the assessment begins, let me explain the rules for this alchemy assessment. It’s different from the martial arts assessment – there are three alchemy assessments in total!”
As the Chief Examiner spoke, his expression became more and more serious.
With a stern gaze, he said authoritatively, “These three assessments consist of
Material Collection, Fire Control, and the final Pill Refinement!”
“As for the Material Collection assessment, it’s very simple. We will provide different elixir recipes, and you have to extract the materials required for refining the elixirs from the recipes. Some materials may need to be replaced, and a variety of others may be involved. If you want to satisfy the judges, you must be meticulous and comprehensive!” the Chief Examiner stated with an indifferent expression.
“Everyone knows about the Fire Control assessment. We will provide a pill furnace that is about to explode, and what is being tested is purely your fire control technique. The better your fire control technique, the more you can gradually reverse the situation with the exploding furnace, making it more and more stable. If your fire control is inadequate, the furnace will explode!”
“As for the Pill Refinement assessment, we examiners and judges will provide a pill formula, and you will refine a specific elixir. The final results will be determined based on the refinement results!”
“Each assessment is divided into first-class and nine-class. If you get a full score, it’s called a special class.”
The Chief Examiner thought about it and saw there was nothing more to add, so he crossed his arms and spoke in a rough tone, “Alright, let’s proceed with the Material Collection assessment. I’ll read the names of the candidates, and you’ll come forward to perform.”
In an instant, the youths seemed eager to give it a try.
Even the elders from the sects that had come to assess alchemy geniuses were attentively watching, ready to see if there were any promising talents worth recruiting.
Comparatively, the Huangshan Sect had more elders attending as they mainly focused on alchemy. Elder Yu, who had a minor conflict with Yang Chen yesterday, was also present.
Elder Yu could guess Yang Chen’s provocation from thinking about it last night, and sure enough, he saw Yang Chen among the many alchemy youths in the No.42 testing site today.
“This kid actually has some achievements in alchemy. But he shouldn’t think that a countryside standard of alchemy can impress me, right? Humph, it’s not that easy to be accepted as a disciple of alchemy in our Huangshan Sect,” Elder Yu snorted coldly, not taking it seriously.
The Huangshan Sect had no shortage of alchemists, and their standards for recruiting alchemy genius talents were much higher than those of other sects.
He didn’t think Yang Chen could achieve anything outstanding, so today, he came here partly for the assessment and partly to see how Yang Chen would embarrass himself.
In addition to the Huangshan Sect, elders from several other sects were also watching the assessment.
After all, those top alchemy geniuses were worth recruiting for their sects. Who wouldn’t want to have an Alchemy Master in their sect?
“Wang Mingyang, Material Collection assessment, fifth-class!” “Luo Jing, Material Collection assessment, fourth-class!”
“Third-class!”
“Second-class! ”
Some alchemy geniuses achieved outstanding second-class results in the Material Collection assessment, causing a stir among the crowd. Obtaining a second-class score in Material Collection was not an easy task, as it meant this genius was well-versed in the basics of alchemy.
Soon, it was Yang Chen’s turn.
Upon hearing his name being called by the examiner, Yang Chen walked quickly to the front with his hands behind his back. Looking at the neatly placed complex materials together with the elixir formulas written on the examination paper, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.
There were ten second-grade elixirs in total. He was to extract the materials required for refining these elixirs within the stipulated time.
This assessment tested the foundational knowledge of the geniuses. Even if these elixirs were not obscure, it was very difficult to accurately select the required materials from the array of materials available and to ensure they were correct. That’s because, while they knew the names of some materials, they might not have seen what they actually looked like.
It resulted in many geniuses only achieving a second-class score in Material Collection, which was considered quite outstanding.
However, this was like child’s play for Yang Chen.
“Obtaining the materials for ten second-grade elixirs is really too easy,” Yang
Chen shook his head.
Seeing those materials he was so familiar with, his movements were smooth and extremely skilled, as if he had done it countless times before. He quickly and accurately classified the materials into ten portions and labeled the corresponding elixir names on the table to satisfy the judges.
Although the assessment had a time limit of the duration of a single incense stick, Yang Chen had completed it in less than thirty percent of the allotted time, clapping his hands and saying, “I’m done.”
Seeing Yang Chen finish, the Chief Examiner was stunned. “Are you sure?”
Yang Chen nodded.
The Chief Examiner thought Yang Chen was another candidate who had given up in the face of the difficulty in Material Collection. He sighed, ready to clean up. However, upon closer look, he was instantly dumbfounded by the neatly placed materials on the table corresponding to the elixir names.
Not only him, but the judges were also equally astonished!
This caused the Chief Examiner to take a deep breath and swallow hard.
As an Alchemy Master himself, he could clearly see that Yang Chen’s performance in the Material Collection assessment was flawless and impeccable.
Thinking of this, the Chief Examiner said, “Fellow judges, what scores do you give?”
“Special class!”
“I also give him a special class!”
Immediately, more than a dozen judges spoke up with their decisions.
As they had no grudges against Yang Chen, they naturally spoke the truth, and there would be no cheating or favoritism in the assessment at Beishan Main City.
The Chief Examiner thought for a moment and said directly, “I also give a special class.. Since it’s unanimous, Yang Chen, my friend, congratulations on achieving a special class score in the Material Collection section!”